In one general aspect thereof, the present invention relates to an apparatus and to a method for continuously forming a continuous element made of expanded plastic material.
The invention also relates to a plant for continuously manufacturing a continuous element made of expanded plastic material comprising the aforementioned apparatus, as well as to a construction element made of expanded plastic material obtainable from the aforementioned continuous element and provided with particular characteristics of surface roughness.
In a preferred embodiment, the continuous element and the construction element made of expanded plastic material which may be obtained from the same are in the form of a slab, preferably made of expanded polystyrene, which is preferably used, though not exclusively, as a heat and sound insulation element in particular for providing an insulating layer of the so-called “jacket” type of a building walls.
In the following description and in the appended claims, the term “expanded plastic material” is used to indicate a synthetic material constituted by expanded granules welded to each other and forming a closed cell structure, material obtained by an operation of expansion and mutual welding carried out by means of the action of heat and pressure on a loose mass of granules made of expandable plastic material.
In the following description and in the appended claims, the aforementioned operation of expansion and mutual welding of the granules made of expandable plastic material will also be indicated with the term of: sintering.
In the following description and in the appended claims, the term “granules made of expandable plastic material” is used to indicate a synthetic material in granular form incorporating a predetermined amount of a suitable expanding agent; such a synthetic material may be polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyamide or copolymers thereof, while the expanding agent can be for example pentane if the granules are made of polystyrene.
In the following description and in the appended claims, the term “continuous element made of expanded plastic material” or “continuous slab made of expanded plastic material” are used to indicate an elongate element or a slab made of expanded plastic material, for example made of expanded polystyrene, which are substantially integrally made in one piece, are free of joints or discontinuities and have an indefinite length as they leave the forming apparatus.
Lastly, in the following description and in the appended claims, the teen “construction element made of expanded plastic material” is used to indicate an elongate element made of expanded plastic material, having a definite length and width, obtainable from the aforementioned continuous element.